How Your B2B Content Can Spark Meaningful Connections

From trash to technological treasure

Meet Kelvin Doe, otherwise known as DJ Focus. Kelvin is a 15-year-old boy from Sierra Leone who wanted to be a DJ so badly that he decided to build his own radio station from electronics scraps he found in trash. If you haven’t seen Kelvin’s story, I recommend you watch it now. (It’s well worth the 10 minutes.)

Inspirational stories work

Kelvin Doe’s inspirational story has brought him global recognition: He’s spoken at TEDxTeen, appeared on CNN and NBC, and been featured on Huffington Post. Most recently, Kelvin was named one of the most creative people of 2013 by “Fast Company” magazine. Indeed, Kelvin’s ability to share his personal experience opened up a world of possibilities that he would likely never have had access to.

But Kelvin isn’t the only one who gained new opportunities by sharing his story. MIT’s Visiting Practitioners Program and YouTube channel, Thnkr — both of which supported Kelvin as he began his journey of discovery — have turned the experience into a shining example of how branded storytelling can connect with and engage audiences.

The B2B content marketing struggle

B2B content marketers can often feel overwhelmed by the challenge of creating relevant brand content that meets their audience’s needs, let alone trying to make those stories meaningful in a real-life setting. But in today’s online universe, it’s never been easier to find a story that can inspire — you just have to know what to look for.

A brand’s missed opportunity

TE Connectivity is a global brand. But unless you’re an electrical engineer, you’ve probably never heard of them. The company makes more than 500,000 different electronic connectors, which can be used in virtually any device known to man. Despite this universal applicability, TE Connectivity is, in essence, involved in a pretty boring business: the business of selling highly technical parts to electrical engineers.

The company’s tagline is, “Every connection counts.” (I’m sure its marketing team is aware of the double entendre there.) Obviously, its connectors must be reliable, fast, and productive. But what about the human connections they make?

The power of connections

Kelvin’s story is full of connections (literally and figuratively). Kelvin connects problems with solutions. He connects parts he’s foraged from discarded appliances with homemade batteries to power his radio equipment. He was fortunate enough to be connected with David Sengeh, a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab, who encouraged Kelvin to explore his curiosity. In turn, David connected Kelvin with the Visiting Practitioners Program at MIT — an opportunity very few people are afforded. Kelvin embodies the idea that every connection counts — and can be worthy of sharing with others.

If TE connectivity really believes that “every connection counts,” why hasn’t it gotten more involved with people like Kelvin — people who are driven to learn and discover new solutions (technological or otherwise)?

This is what engineers do. TE connectivity has the opportunity to grab hold of the viral potential of stories like Kelvin’s and turn it into something special — content that forges new connections for its business.

What if…

What if TE Connectivity created a series highlighting one child like Kelvin every single month? What if it invited professional engineers to participate in the program by sponsoring and mentoring the children it highlights? What if TE Connectivity took its tagline less literally and more figuratively? Don’t you think more engineers would think about TE connectivity more often in their daily lives? Don’t you believe TE Connectivity would be more relevant to more engineers who are working on projects that require the products it sells?

Ask yourself…

What inspirational stories have you let pass by instead of grabbing hold of them to create content relevant to your audience? What if you spent more time looking for the kind of content that taps into the emotion behind your business? What if you got more involved in exploring the lives your products and services touch?

Author: Andrew Davis

Andrew Davis’ 20-year career has taken him from local television to "The Today Show". He's worked for The Muppets in New York and marketed for tiny start-ups as well as Fortune 500 brands. In 2001, Andrew Davis co-founded Tippingpoint Labs, where he changed the way publishers think and how brands market their products. For more than a decade, as Tippingpoint’s chief strategy officer, Andrew rallied his team to change the way content creators think, authentic talent is nurtured, and companies market their products. Today, he’s traveling the globe sharing his insight, experience, stories, and optimistic ideals through his wildly fascinating speaking engagements, guest lectures and workshops. His most recent book, "Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships" hit shelves in September, 2012. Andrew is also an instructor for the Content Marketing Institute Online Training and Certification program. Follow Andrew on Twitter @TPLDrew.

This looks great! I’ll take a look at the post right now! Thanks so much for sharing.

Andrew

jnthibeault

Just remember that inspirational to one person isn’t to another. Yes, one could argue that there are some universal stories of inspiration, but for the most part these are few and far in-between. I think maybe inspirational is too lofty of a word. Instead perhaps it’s “customer focused”? Content marketers should develop content that tells the story from their customer’s perspective (really that’s what Kevin’s story is). Because in that form of storytelling, other customers can make an emotional connection by connecting with someone else who is “in their shoes” (and the message isn’t about the company, it’s not me, me, me). And perhaps, just perhaps, they can be “inspired” by the story of another customer.

http://morekeynote.com/ tpldrew

@JNthibeault,
Thanks so much for reading the post and taking the time to comment.I think what I was trying to get across in this post was the fact that inspirational content can actually be found no matter what brand your working for. Sure, customer stories can be effective but they don’t often elicit an emotional response from a prospective customer. I think too many brands are too focused on product level content-which includes customer oriented content.

What’s powerful about this opportunity is that it expands the scope and the meaning of the brand involved.

Anyway, your point is well taken, I just think that we need to think of a little bigger when it comes to B2B marketing.

Thanks again!

http://cashwithatrueconscience.com/rbblog Ryan Biddulph

Supreme inspiration here Andrew!

I am a world traveler – living in Costa Rica now – and believe that many Americans, and people in wealthier countries, take for granted the opportunities around them.

Having grown up in the US and spent time in places like Bali, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and a host of other nations, I appreciate kids like Kelvin, who are hungry and do WHATEVER it takes to succeed in his present situation, and he certainly connected with me. Many folks from these nations grow up in abject poverty but remain positive, and creative, and find a way to better other people’s lives and their own. Love it!!